Led by the visionary CEO and founder, Rabih Fakhreddine, Dubai-based 7 Management’s regional recognition has been established due to its uniqueness and creativity in connecting with a diverse range of audiences through providing memorable entertainment and dining experiences.
Born in Lebanon, Rabih pursued his graduation from the American University of Beirut in 2006, where he learned the intricacies of Business Marketing. After completing his studies, he joined the FMCG sector, starting with a sales position at Transmed, where he handled the account of P&G. Later, Rabih joined British American Tobacco and served in various managerial positions for the Levant region.
With entrepreneurship in mind, Rabih soon stepped out of the corporate world to pursue his dream of the food and entertainment industry. A few years after graduation, he established his first bar named Faces in 2012 and a couple of others by 2015. Later, he founded Seven Sisters, a luxurious combination of music and cuisine in the heart of Beirut, and shortly afterward, he formed 7 Management to handle the operations.
Rabih says, “I have been cooking with passion since I was a young child. During my university days, I was active in several social clubs. I started saving money that I later used to invest in several bars and restaurants.”
Currently, 7 Management owns and operates various entertainment concepts like Feb30 and Antika Bar, Seven Sisters, culinary offerings, Kahwet Beirut, and Super Snack El Kbeer in Lebanon and Dubai.
Since the first day of his organization, Rabih has aspired to broaden the target audience of 7 Management, which has led to a diversified portfolio that includes bars, restaurants, beach clubs, nightclubs, and cafes. The organization also exposes its audience to brands with tremendous potential in Beirut by bringing them to Dubai, where it operates 7 different brands.
The Greatest Accomplishments
Rabih believes 7 Management achieved its most outstanding achievement in 2021 when the organization emerged from the pandemic in a solid position. With all the challenges the food and beverages industry faced, 7 Management successfully came out the other side carrying a big success story.
Soon, within eight months, Rabih and his colleagues launched six homegrown brands, putting 7 Management on both international and regional maps. Its star brands that stand out in the crowded F&B market are Lucia’s, The Theater, February 30, and Café Beirut, with each brand now leading its segment.
Also, thanks to Rabih’s lifelong quest to provide memorable entertainment and dining experiences, he has recently won the Caterer After Dark Awards for Nightlife Entrepreneur of the year.
Tackling Challenges
Being a regional leader also presents more challenges in creating moments and developing lifestyle brands that can put smiles on people’s faces and create memories for many people. Rabih believes this puts extra pressure on the leadership team to keep leading, creating, and upgrading experiences that can successfully cater to the needs and tastes of consumers in a competitive market like Dubai. This also makes him go the extra mile to consistently stay ahead of the competition and retain 7 Management’s lead over its rivals.
Rabih explains that as the CEO and founder of 7 Management, creating and innovating are two never-ending processes, and the entire team feels proud to be regional and international trendsetters.
He says, “People may tell me, this concept is a copy-paste venue,’ but I feel rewarded when I hear this as I don’t see it as a negative thing. 7M is a trendsetter and a lifestyle brand that many people and organizations aspire to, and as CEO, one of the most important things is to have a healthy culture within the organization for other people to keep on creating and innovating.”
Key Learnings
All the obstacles that Rabih and his team faced are vital learnings and pivotal to 7 Management’s journey. Now, after spending a decent amount of time in the industry and going through a lot of wild experiences, Rabih looks at things from various perspectives, which has helped him learn many key strategic lessons for 7 Management’s success. He also believes this accumulation of experiences has made the organization what it is today and made 2021 a great year with numerous launches across the region.
“We are certainly going to continue facing obstacles, and we will keep learning and evolving. This is all part of our journey, and hopefully, all of this is for the better and contribute to the continued growth of this organization.”– he asserts.
Putting Smiles on People’s Faces
For Rabih, success is going to 7 Management’s venues and seeing people happy, enjoying their time, and creating memories. He feels all the hard work is worth for these moments. After such a tough year, putting smiles back on people’s faces is something that he deeply cherishes.
Rabih feels proud of his team and their actions, especially when he comes across random people talking about 7 Management and its brands across the region. Such pride encourages him to keep moving, creating, building, and expanding.
Picture of the Future
Founded in 2015, 7 Management is present in markets like Beirut, Doha, Dubai, and Riyadh. To make the company a major international player, Rabih and his team have plans for several new markets where they would like to expand their portfolio, including Athens, London, and entire Europe.
As a company, 7 Management is always one step ahead of everyone else. Rabih and his team are pretty excited by the growing tech industry. They have firmly tapped into the explosive power of this sector, resulting in a new payment option, where clients can pay with cryptocurrencies at all of the 7 Management’s Food and Beverages outlets.
Suggestions for Young Leaders
Rabih believes each leader needs to be humble and keep their feet on the ground because no matter what position they reach, they are still human beings. Everything that happened over the last two years is a grim reminder that nothing is more valuable than loving and respecting each other.